All families have home remedies and wives tales that have been passed down through the years: stress causes gray hair, frogs don’t actually cause warts, etc. One I’ve come across is that you can use a newspaper to clean a mirror. Sounds crazy enough, but there are dozens of web pages devoted to it. So, I set out to see if this is truth or just an old myth. The recipe is simple. Mix a quarter-cup of vinegar and two cups of water. Spray and coat the mirror. Take out an ordinary piece of newspaper, crumple it up into a ball, begin to wipe. Sounds simple enough. I snagged an AM New York on my way home from work, I already had vinegar in the cupboard, so I mixed up the solution and headed for the bathroom. I coated the mirror with the vinegar solution and crumpled up a page from the paper. (Sorry, to the author of the article on tourism in New York City’s Brighton Beach neighborhood.) I started at the top of the mirror going in circular strokes and it did not go so well. The whole thing was coated in large white, foamy streaks. It looked like a child went crazy with a tub of Noxzema. After a few more moments of rubbing, to my surprise – it really started working! With a little more elbow grease, I got the whole thing perfectly clean! It was as good as a bottle of glass cleaner could do from the store. If it worked on the mirror, I figured it has to work on other surfaces, so I tried wiping the sink and countertop. Big mistake. The newspaper left black streaks all over the counter top that I had to go back and wipe up with glass cleaner. There was one major...

The Holiday season is upon us once again. Millions will be taking to the skies to visit loved ones. Yet with rising fuel costs, dozens of surcharges, and perks at a bare minimum, the skies aren’t as friendly as they once were. Flying used to be a treat, something that people dressed up for and made an occasion out of. Flight attendants weren’t just there for your safety, but to also ensure your comfort and care. It often seems like flight attendants can’t be bothered to bring that extra glass of water for your five-hour flight. And why should they? They are often over worked as it is. And to get that extra level of care that used to be the norm, you have to fly first or business class. But in this economy, it’s just not the reality for 99% of us. With people being packed into flying Greyhound buses like cattle, flying has become rather stressful as opposed to a treat. So lately, I’ve relied on myself to add my own touch of class to air travel. Instead of relying on the airline to treat me well, I take a little extra time before departure to ensure I will have my own little treat in the sky. And on every flight I’ve done this, I’ve received envious compliments from passengers wishing they had done the same. The most common remark, “Oh wow, you’ve made your own First Class!” First: Receiving a newspaper or magazine was rather common on airlines before. And while some airlines still have a great magazine of their own to peruse, it will not hold you over for the long flights. The night before a flight, I take a minute to download a magazine or book that I’ve been...